Does Defiance Have a Place at Work?

Dec 9, 2025

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TOPIC: Do you think we should punish defiance in organizations?

BIG IDEAS:

defiance appreciated in different cultures - in France it shows you're thinking critically
power dynamics that are at play when talking about defiance
defy and comply isn't a binary
most of us were raised to believe that compliance was good and defiance was bad
defiance can be good when it aligns with our values
consent is when you have the capacity, knowledge
we comply without having the knowledge
false defiance - you go along with something that isn't aligned with your values
conscious compliance -- where we're consciously going with something that's against your values because the risk is too high to comply
there is often a long build up to defiance
recognize the moments when I'm consciously complying
not wanting to be the "complainer" when being harassed - risks too great for career
people from marginalized groups have a great risk when defying
looking to any ally from a more powerful social group to defy for you
saying "no" to people's behavior and setting boundaries
he-peating -- when a man repeats a woman's ideas, and others praise him over her
How should companies deal with defiance?
getting curious about the defiance - look at practices and processes that are outdated
look at gaps between personal values and organizational values - how do we reconcile gaps in values
Are values stated, but not practiced?
people can value the same thing, but how they demonstrate those values can differ
look at the behaviors over the stated values of an organization
emotional, psychological, physical, financial risks when it comes to defiance and compliance
if there is a values misalignment between you and the organization, you choose a principled exit
Is doing values exercises a pointless and dangerous exercise because you will never have alignment?
the word defy has a moral connotation in French
when people take your defiance to a process as a personal attack
How do you defy but still stay loyal to the organization?
it's hard to argue with someone's values
standing on your moral high ground makes the other person wrong
using your values as a launch pad for your defiance
build around a common need
finding the nuanced way to defy - it doesn't have to be big and bold
when you're at work, you're in a dependent relationship, so there are inherent risks
the difference between protesting and striking

RESOURCES:

Defy by Dr. Sunita Sah
Non Violent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg